Shakespearean Rhetoric: A Practical Guide for Actors, Directors, Students and Teachers (Arden Performance Companions)

"Classical Rhetoric, the art of persuasion, formed the sum and substance of Shakespeare's education and was the basis of his understanding of the power of language and how it worked to move, delight and teach. Rhetoric, which seeks to explain the way that language works to influence others, provides a powerful, transformative tool for approaching text in performance. This book helps you understand the key concepts of rhetoric. It gives clear explanations, stripped of jargon, and examples of rhetorical technique in the plays. It also provides engaging, practical exercises to unlock character and to identify themes in the plays through the lens of rhetoric. Academically rigorous, based on more than a decade of practical experience in the use of rhetoric in drama at the highest level, it is an ideal companion for anyone engaging with Shakespeare in performance."-- Provided by publisher Cover page Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Dedication CONTENTS SERIES PREFACE FOREWORD ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS NOTES ON TEXT ABBREVIATIONS 1 Why this book? What is rhetoric? What is rhetoric not? Why aren’t we more familiar with classical rhetoric? What does rhetoric have to do with Shakespeare? And what does Shakespeare have to do with rhetoric? What does rhetoric have to do with drama? Characters alive in the moment An intellectual exercise? An anecdote Summary 2 How to read this book Who is this book for? How should I read this book? 3 What is rhetoric? A definition The specifics Invention Disposition Style Memory Delivery Summary 4 Memory and Delivery Memory Absence Delivery Practical wisdom 5 Invention Occasions for speaking Honest, vile, doubtful, trifling Evidence and argument The Modes of Persuasion The topics of Invention Accepted wisdom The teaching of Invention Summary 6 The Modes of Persuasion Horses for courses 7 Logos Logic Shakespeare’s understanding of logic and reasoning Maxims and commonplaces The maxim as moral compass The power of example In performance Summary 8 Ethos The most effective means of persuasion Good people Entertaining Experience Choice of language In performance Summary 9 Pathos The first book on psychology How to play with the emotions In performance Summary 10 Disposition Beginning The status of the case First get their attention . . . . . . then win their goodwill A classic example And for performance? Look for the ethos Insinuation Insinuation in practice And for performance? Middle End Applied 11 Using Invention and Disposition in performance The importance of empathy 12 Worked examples Introduction The Winter’s Tale The answers that rhetoric gives All’s Well That Ends Well Note the change A digression about change Change and change again Double-down The peroration What does this analysis offer the performer? Henry V Further work Summary of the theory 13 Invention and Disposition in rehearsal Who is this chapter for? What if I am an actor? The plan Exercises for understanding Invention What has persuaded you in the past? If you were trying to persuade a judge, would you emphasise logos, ethos or pathos? If you were trying to persuade a mob, which would you lead with? Mini-debates Anthropomorphising Exercises for application to Shakespeare in performance The Modes of Persuasion (A) What is the argument of the speech? (B) What is Helena’s purpose in speaking? Parts of the speech Repeat performance Identify the different arguments that Helena deploys What insights have we gained? Informed replay Exercises of general application Initial approach to the text The table read Inflection points Counterfactuals 14 Style What is Style? What is the significance of Style? What don’t people understand about Style? An example of Style in practice Style and theme Theme Structure also Dramatic themes Reverse engineering The labour and the reward Speak that I may see thee Another example, this time Shakespearean Summary 15 The purposes of Style Style in practice How do we turn that theory into practice? Categorisation Why not simply name and list the rhetorical techniques with examples? A dead language A rose by any other name . . . A map for the lost 16 Emotional state The significance of rhythm and metre The question The answer Ways to play Word order Enough theory – what about the practice? Conclusions: Word placement Ancient wisdom Summary: Rhythm, metre and word order The central importance of imagery Classical guidance The three uses of metaphor The threefold value of metaphors ‘. . . aut quia signifi cantius est . . .’ Mark the change Too much, too much Catachresis Let the part stand for the whole Symbolism Summary Amplification Structures of emotion 17 Structures of thought Active vs passive Road maps Summary 18 Illusions of logic Stories and ancient wisdom Reflections Antithesis or contraries Alliteration and assonance Keep the word but change it Symmetry Three is the magic number The ending is also the beginning Refining Summary 19 Style and Tone Why distinguish between tones? Bad Tone General rules for Tone 20 Reverse dictionary Repeated words The unexpected Active vs passive Amplification Transformation Illusions of logic 21 Style in performance Note the beginnings and endings Note the unusual Note the metre Note the imagery 22 Style in rehearsal How best to deploy a knowledge of rhetorical techniques in performance? Introducing Style What is the difference between a conversation and a speech? Introducing rhetorical technique as conveying meaning Widening the circle of knowledge Language best shows the man The Winter’s Tale Measure for Measure Reverse engineering General application Appendix: What Shakespeare learned at school Did Shakespeare go to school? What would he have learned there? Would his audience have been educated? What was a Humanist education for? What did they study and how? Exercises Debating Verbal richness The making of a playwright Why did Shakespeare not go to university? NOTES SUGGESTED FURTHER READING PARTIAL BIBLIOGRAPHY GLOSSARY ABOUT THE AUTHOR